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Weekly Market Notes Library

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Weekly Market Notes for August 28, 2014

Hello Market Friends:

August can sometimes feel like a sleepy summer month, but we plan to end it with a very lively market. Depending on when you come and where you wander, you may see a young Highland dancer demonstrating her prize-winning technique, musician Suzanne Jarvie and backup pals playing tunes from their upcoming cd, longtime market friend guitarist Madd Dog strumming his favourite melodies, or our Market Kids table, with activities and prizes.

Two more visitors will be joining us as part or our 'guest spot' series: Damon Dewsbury of Culture City with tempeh made from all kinds of grains will be setting up his bike cart along the lower path, and Micah Kennedy will be making fresh-cooked fries from organic Ontario potatoes up on rinkhouse row.

Farm News:

Talk of tomato blight spread through the market almost as fast as that nasty scourge itself last week. Almost all our growers are affected, with Shared Harvest the only tomato-growing farm that hadn't seen the signs yet. Angelos and Linda's heirlooms, Spade and Spoon's about-to-be-bumper crop for spicy ketchup and other delicious preserves, the Sosnickis' Romas and Ted's big juicy varieties…all are pretty much wiped out. Blythe said her conventional farming neighbours had sprayed four times in a week, but those kinds of drastic chemical measures are not part of organic growing, so it's time to re-jig our menus and buy lots of other veggies instead.

The vendors write:

"Bringing a few Romas we are able to find that aren't completely diseased. Oodles of Heirloom Tomatoes from under glass that are looking great still! Lots and lots of Sweet Corn!! Rainbow Carrots, Purple Carrots, regular sweet Orange Carrots, Golden & Purple Beets, Summer Cabbages, Kales, Swiss Chard, fresh dug New Red Potatoes, Sweet Onions, Cucumbers, Green Beans, the last of the Zucchinis too. See everyone for the last market in August! Cannot believe how fast this cool summer went!!" Jess, Ben & Sadie Sosnicki

"Knuckle Down Farm is overflowing with beans, cucumbers and summer squash. Please help us out by taking some home with you this week! We will also have some tender little pointy cabbages that make fantastic salad, and won't take over your fridge. For a little something different we will also have fennel and cauliflower for at least one more week." Jenny

"Urban Harvest and Earthly Paradise are happy to be back at the market. We will be bringing body care, seeds and a few herbs for fall planting or indoor kitchen gardens." Colette & Pablo

Feast of Fields' market list:

• Peaches – freestone Redhaven and White Lady
• Berries! strawberries, raspberries and blackberries
• Red Plums
• Wild blue are still going strong but rains and frost up north make future supplies uncertain

Fall fruit has started:

• Apples: Pristine, red free and Paula red
• Grapes: blue seedless
• Pears: Bartlett
• and maybe some figs

Laura and Matthew

Best Baa and Evelyn's Crackers will be away, but Floralora Flowers will be back and the Akiwenzies will be down with frozen and smoked fish.

Southbrook Winery will be in the VQA tent this time.

One more thing! We hope to have bike checks on offer in support of the West End Trail, so ride if you can.

See you at the market!

Anne Freeman

P.S. Last chance to show your admiration for the beautiful way our vendors set up their wares by taking part in the Greenbelt's Local Bounty Vendor Display Contest. Visit the Greenbelt Facebook page to 'like' photos by August 30th. You could win a basket of goodies by participating, and the ten vendors whose photos get the most 'likes' will win $300 each!

Vendors this week:

• Akiwenzies Fish (fresh, frozen and smoked Georgian Bay fish),
• Ali Harris (Fish Shak) (rotis and fritters, hemp pesto and seeds, beverages),
• Bees Universe (honey and bee products),
• Beretta Farms (organic and naturally raised meats),
• Brixton Grill (vegan barbeque and ice cream sandwiches),
• Chocosol (coffee and chocolate, tortillas),
• Country Meadows (eggs, cheese, olives, oil),
• DeFloured (gluten-free baking),
• Dufferin Park Bakers (wood-fired oven breads, soups,and snacks),
• Earth and City (raw foods and smoothies)
• Everdale Farm (organic vegetables),
• Feast of Fields (organic berries and tender fruits),
• Field Sparrow (pastured meats),
• Floralora Flowers (cutflowers),
• Forbes Wild Foods (dried mushrooms, nuts, syrup, preserves)
• Kind Organics (sprouts, kombuchas, teas, chocolate),
• Knuckle Down Farm (organic vegetables),
• Niagara Lavender Farm (organic berries and tender fruits),
• Pine River Organic Farm (organic vegetables),
• Plan B (organic produce),
• Shared Harvest (organic vegetables, ferments),
• Sosnicki Organics (organic vegetables)
• Spade & Spoon (jams, pickles, soups),
• Tapioca Gourmet (gluten-free tapioca pancakes with seasonal fillings),
• Ted Thorpe (veggies),
• Urban Harvest (seeds, body care, soil amendments),
• VQA Wines (rotating roster of organic wineries, Southbrook this week),
• Waymac Farms (oyster and shiitake mushrooms),
• Ying Ying Soy (tofus and miso).

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